Ashes To Ashes
by Maharet11
Summary: Anime-based, now a twoshot. A dark look at what could have happened if Seras had accepted Alucard's blood after the first confrontation with Father Alexander Anderson.
1. Prelude to Vengance

Red-eyed gaze met red-eyed gaze. Seras Victoria and Alucard watched each other from their positions on either side of a road not far from Cairo. It was night, and the moon was full, just as it had been on the night Alucard had made Seras into a vampire. Stirred by the wind, red dust swirled around their feet, and a couple of pyramids could be seen in the distance. Seras was garbed in a traditional Egyptian outfit, the better to blend in with others travelling through the desert, while Alucard was dressed in his usual outfit, the most notable parts of which were his long red coat and his fedora of the same shade. The only sound was that of the heavy, nervous breathing of a dozen or so human men in military uniform featuring the Hellsing logo that stood nearby with their guns loaded with blessed silver bullets. This meeting was not a happy one.

Up until less than a week ago Seras had been Alucard's apprentice in vampirism, so to speak. After Integral Hellsing – the current leader of the Hellsing vampire hunting organisation – had broken up a fight between Alucard and Father Alexander Anderson of the Vatican's own vampire hunting organisation, Alucard had offered her a second drink of his ancient blood. She had accepted. The first time she had drank Alucard's blood; it had turned her into a vampire. The second time, it had severed the link between Master and apprentice, and Seras had become her own Master.

With one decision, Seras had become truly free in a way that Alucard had not been in centuries. Bound by occult rituals, the older vampire had no choice but to serve the descendants of Abraham Van Helsing. At this point in time, that meant Integral or Integra as she was often called. Not a second after Seras had drawn her mouth back from Alucard's bleeding wrist he had been urging her to flee. "It is your only chance for freedom," he had told her earnestly. "If you stay, you will be enslaved as I have been, or more likely killed. Do not waste my gift to you, Seras Victoria." Drunk on the power and knowledge this most ancient and powerful blood had provided her with, she had kissed her former Master on the lips before disappearing down a dark London alley, determined to leave England ASAP.

Now, it seemed that the Hellsing organisation had caught up with Seras. There was something almost sad in Alucard's countenance, and the Jackal, a gun much too powerful for any human, was held loosely in his right hand, which hung limply at his side. Even as both of the vampires regarded each other carefully, one of the present soldiers called out loudly; "Get on with it, vampire!" Most of his companions nodded in agreement, and those who did not made no effort to disaffiliate themselves from their companion's statement.

After several minutes, Seras spoke. "Did Sir Integral send you to kill me?" she inquired in a soft, miserable voice. She was out of options. Even if she was willing to harm Alucard to escape, she knew that he would quickly heal from any wound he could possibly be inflicted with. She clearly remembered how Anderson had used blessed silver bayonets in order to behead the No Life King, only for his remains to transform into a colony of bats that flew to Anderson and promptly turned back into Alucard's more human-appearing form in order to once again confront the priest.

"Yes," Alucard's replied, in a voice that was flat and devoid of feeling. It was the voice of someone who had lost all hope. Only Seras saw something more flicker briefly in his eyes as he spoke. She eyed him thoughtfully. "These soldiers are here to ensure that it is properly done," he informed her, and that strange glint appeared briefly in his eyes once again. "Integra didn't say how soon it had to happen, however. Only that it had to be done." In that moment, Seras finally understood. She turned gracefully towards the soldiers, moving as though she were a hunting leopard, and her eyes glazed over slightly as she allowed the bloodlust to take her.

The first seven men were dead before any of them even realised what had happened. From there it was easy to pick off four more so that only one was left. It was then that that one remaining soldier, in his eagerness to avenge his fellows, whipped his gun up to point at her. There was no way that she would be able to reach him in time. However, the soldier was young, idealistic and newly recruited to the Hellsing organisation. As such he momentarily hesitated to shoot a woman, vampire or otherwise. That moment was all Seras needed to dart up to him and crush his skull. Bending over his body, she took his gun in her own hand. She could do with a weapon, and blessed silver bullets such as the ones loaded in this were hard to come by. Almost as an afterthought she took his cache of spare bullets as well.

"It seems my unfortunate comrades have fallen," Alucard mused in a solemn tone that was belied by his Cheshire cat grin. "I think that it would be appropriate to take a moment's silence and inaction in their memories." Turning his crimson gaze upon Seras, he added; "I very much doubt that I will be allowed to do something like this next time, so you had better not let me find you again. I gave you the power and some of the knowledge of a true No Life King – use it." Seras nodded and then turned on her heel and disappeared into the night.

Almost a decade later, the two vampires met again, this time on the peak of Mt. Kosiosko, the tallest mountain in Australia. The view was spectacular; snow-capped mountains and lower, dryer valleys all around, while the only two beings currently there stood among the snow and rocks. There was no time to admire the view, for the Jackal was immediately aimed at Seras' forehead. Alucard's finger began to descend on the trigger, but then, with a great deal of effort, he managed to stop himself for just long enough to tell her; "I've been ordered to kill you on sight."

Just before the bullet made contact, Seras whispered; "Avenge me." And then she was dead.

"Of course, Seras; as soon as I am able," Alucard murmured, and then chuckled bitterly. "Now I've made that promise to both you and Lucy, who whispered it to my mind just before her fiancé drove a stake through her heart at the urging of Abraham Van Helsing." He stood there silently for a few more seconds, and then he vanished from Mt. Kosiosko, and reappeared in Integra's office.

"Is it done?" the blue-eyed platinum blonde asked her most valuable servant in a voice that betrayed none of her true feelings. She was almost sorry to have commanded the death of the lively, good-natured girl she had gotten to know during said girl's brief stint with Hellsing, but as a powerful vampire free of human obligations, Seras was certainly a supernatural threat to England. Integra had sworn to stamp out all such threats, and she wasn't about to break her oath and thus commit treason for the sake of one errant Draculina. Besides, the Knights of the Round Table had immediately demanded that Seras be exterminated when they had found out that one of the Hellsing organisation's "pet vampires" was outside of said organisation's control.

"It is done," Alucard told his Master in a voice that was just as emotionless as hers. As he turned to leave, however, his eyes flashed with anger. He had seen in his Master's thoughts that which he had already known. He had already fulfilled his promise to Lucy by neglecting to save Van Helsing's wife when he alone had known of the danger she was in, and by later delaying coming to Van Helsing's aid just long enough that it was impossible to save him. By deliberate neglect, he had been responsible for both deaths. Now, for Seras, it was the Knights of the Round Table, rather than that most fascinating mortal Integra, that he would destroy. Soon enough, one of those rare missions in which it was necessary that he be allowed to eliminate humans as well as vampires, would come about. When it did, he would pay the Knights a visit whilst the ban on taking human lives was still lifted. Seras would be avenged.


	2. Blood on the Table

What does it say about the times in which we live that there are humans responsible for the creation of vampires?

By orders of her Majesty, the Hellsing organisation moved in to shut down an underground lab responsible for manufacturing FREAK chips. Or rather, one agent moved in. It was a short, one-sided battle. With gun, hands and fangs, Hellsing's resident vampire Alucard gleefully created an artwork of gore and blood on every surface.

"Oh? I presume I'll be allowed to kill humans, then?" he had asked Sir Integra when she had given him his orders, and her eyes had immediately narrowed with suspicion.

"Only within the confines of the mission," she had replied firmly, seemingly leaving no room for loopholes.

Now, apart from insects, arachnids and vermin, three of the higher ranking scientists were the only life forms remaining within the warehouse turned research facility. One of them looked at him defiantly while her compatriots cowered in the background, eyes glazed as they suffered nothing short of a nervous breakdown. "You're Hellsing's pet," the relatively calm one sneered. "Why do you serve the hunters of your own kind?"

"I have my reasons," he replied, and aimed the Jackal at her forehead. "Tell me who engineered this, and where to find them."

She spat at his feet.

"London!" one of the others shrieked in blind terror. "They're in London, right under Hellsing's very nose!"

It took only a very little intimidation to produce further details, and then he was feasting on their blood. The crimson liquid confirmed their belief in what they had told him. He doubted that FREAK's true masterminds would reveal themselves so readily, but it was enough. He had been ordered to destroy the chips' manufacturers. Nothing had been said about limiting that to the lab.

Mr. Petrovi and Mr. Blair sat in the latter's lavishly decorated dining room. Seated at the mahogany table, they lifted their wineglasses in a toast under the light of a sizable chandelier. "To our… business pursuits," said Mr. Blair. Mr. Petrovi nodded, and the clink of glass hitting glass was echoed by dark, inhuman laughter. Two pairs of hazel eyes widened, and wine spread its stain across the fluffy carpet when a glass slipped out of chubby fingers' grasp.

"Who are you?" Mr. Blair snarled at the red-clad figure that had most certainly not been grinning madly in the corner just seconds ago.

"I'm the Hellsing organisation," Alucard replied, and then, in an entirely unexpected gesture, lowered his gun so that the muzzle was pointed at the floor. "I understand that a number of knights are currently holding a meeting next door." The humans gave each other nervous but puzzled looks. "You've got ten minutes, and then I'm coming after you." He sounded almost playful.

Petrovi grabbed Blair's arm and dragged him out the door. "What the hell you think you're doing?" the latter spluttered indignantly.

"It's Hellsing's vampire. He'll slaughter us without a second thought… unless we have leverage."

"Leverage?"

"Like noblemen." Blair gave a blank look. Petrovi rolled his eyes. "Like _knights_, you fool."

Blair made a small noise of comprehension. Neither of the men questioned why the vampire had told them about the meeting nor why he had given them a head start.

That is why the Knights of the Round Table minus Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing found their meeting interrupted by two desperate criminals in suits and ties. Those few who had thought to bring weapons were swiftly disarmed, and by the time Alucard arrived the bound Knights formed a living shield. "Save us, vampire!" cried one of them upon recognising him. Alucard grinned.

"My orders were to search and destroy the chips' manufacturers. It seems that you're in the way."

"No! I command you…"

"You're not my master. But I promised Seras vengeance."

An older Knight chuckled bitterly. "I see. Then you'd best get on with it." The others protested, but he waved them down with one impressively steady hand. Less than a minute later this room, like the decrepit lab, was a tapestry for the No Life King's macabre art.

"Search and destroy!" Integra had told him. "Allow nothing to get in your way!"

"And if they do?" he had asked, mad grin in place below sardonically elevated eyebrows.

His master had hesitated, and then her lips had thinned and her eyes had narrowed. "You have your orders, vampire," she had hissed, punctuating the statement by slamming her fists into her desk.

That was one order that Alucard was delighted to obey. After all, he always kept his promises.

* * *

AN: Just in case anyone happens to be interested, the table referred to in the chapter title is the Round Table.


End file.
